Distributing panel



April 15, 1941. H. G. BAXTER 2,238,618

DISTRIBUTING PANEL Filed Dec. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORN April 1941- H. G. BAXTER 2,238,618

DISTRIBUTING PANEL Filed Dec. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v WITNESSES: INVENTOR 5 7M AQroZd GYM/e1? Patented Apr. 15, 1941 DISTRIBUTING PANEL Harold G. Baxter, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 14, 1938, Serial No. 245,676

9 Claims.

My invention relates, generally, to distributing panels, and, more particularly, to distributing panels which are immersed in a liquid such as oil.

In previously known distributing panels of the oil-immersed type, the circuits are controlled by switches which are manually operable by operating rods extending through the cover of the removable tank, thereby permitting any individual circuit to be opened at will without necessitating removal of the tank containing the oil. However, in the prior oil-immersed distributing panels with which I am familiar, no provision is made for utilizing automatic circuit breakers to protect the individual circuits against overload or fault conditions.

An object of my invention is to provide an oil-immersed distributing panel suitable for utilizing automatic circuit breakers for controlling the individual electric circuits.

Another object of my invention is to provide for supporting the tank of an oil-immersed distributing panel in a lowered position to permit inspection of the apparatus on the panel.

A further object of my invention is to provide for tripping open the automatic-circuit breakers of an oil-immersed distributing panel upon the lowering of the tank containing the insulating oil.

Still another object of my invention is to pro or vide for operating the automatic circuit breakers of an oil-immersed distributing panel from the exterior of the housing enclosing the panel.

A still further object of my invention is to provide for indicating exteriorly of the housing the position of the automatic circuit breakers of an oil-immersed distributing panel.

Other objects of my invention will be explained fully hereinafter or will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In accordance with one embodiment of my invention, a plurality of automatic circuit breakers for individually controlling electric power or distribution circuits are mounted on a panel which is immersed in oil contained in a tank suspended from a supporting cover. The breakers may be operated manually by individually adjustable operating rods which are connected to shafts extending horizontally through the cover.

An interlocking device is provided for tripping For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of my invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in front elevation and partially in section, of an oil-immersed distributing panel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in side elevation and partially in section, of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, in perspective, of one of the tank hangers which support the tank in the lowered position; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, in perspective, of a portion of the interlocking device for opening the circuit breakers when the tank is lowered.

Referring to the drawings, the distributing panel shown therein comprises a metal cover It having flanges H at the rear thereof for attaching the cover to a suitable switchboard panel or wall structure, not shown, thereby supporting the cover in a horizontal position. The cover In is also provided with depending brackets l2 to which a metal plate 13 is attached at each side of the cover by means of suitable bolts 14. The side plates !3 constitute a frame for supporting a pair of panel units I5, which are mounted underneath the cover It.

The panel units I5 each comprise an insulating panel it, which may be composed of slate or other suitable insulating material, that is attached to angle bars ll which, in turn, are secured to the side plates 13 by means of suitable rivets !3. The insulating panels It may be attached to the angle bars H by means of suitable screws or bolts IS.

A plurality of automatic circuit breakers 2| are mounted on the front of each one of the panels It by means of screws 22. The circuit breakers 2! may be of any type suitable for individually controlling the power or distribution circuits. The ones illustrated are of an enclosed type having the operating mechanism, which is designed to automatically open the circuit in case of overload or fault conditions, enclosed in a housing 23 and having an operating handle 24 extending from the front of the housing. The operating handle 24 of each breaker has three positions corresponding to the on or closed position of the breaker mechanism, the off or open position and an intermediate or tripped position, which indicates that the breaker mechanism has been automatically opened by a fault or overload condition in the circuit controlled by the breaker.

In addition to the circuit breaker units, a neutral bus is mounted on the upper panel it and is provided with a plurality of terminals 25 for connecting the neutral wires of a distribution system in accordance with the usual practice. The current for the circuits controlled by the circuit breakers 25, which are mounted on the upper panel I6, is supplied through a bus bar 2? which is mounted on the rear of the panel l6 and is connected to a terminal 23 through a conductor 29 and stud 3! which also supports the terminal 28. Likewise, the current for the breakers mounted on the lower panel i5 is supplied through a similar bus bar 32 which is connected to a terminal 33 by means of a stud 3%. Current is supplied to the neutral bus through a. terminal 35 which is secured to the neutral bus by a screw 35. The terminals 253, 33 and 35 may be connected to suitable power conductors, not shown, for supplying power to the distributing panel.

When two or more panel units 3 5 are provided, they are disposed in superimposed and offset relation, as shown, the upper unit being nearer the front of the structure than the lower units. However, it will be understood that in the smaller-sized structures, one row of circuit breakers will be sufficient to control the desired number of circuits, in which case only one panel need be supplied. In this manner, the proper number of breakers for controlling the desired number of circuits may be readily provided.

The operating handle 2 of each circuit breaker 2| may be actuated manually by means of a vertically disposed operating rod 3'5 which extends into the cover it. the flanges of which engage the breaker handle 24, is threaded onto the lower end of each operating rod 3? and a rotatable shaft 39, which extends horizontally through the front wall of the cover I 0, is connected to the upper end of each operating rod by means of a clevis 4i.

Each one of the shafts 39 is mounted in a hearing 42 provided in the wall of the housing to, and suitable packing material (23 is provided around the shaft to prevent gas from entering the interior of the cover it. The bearing ll? and the packing material 53 are secured in position by means of a nut l -l which is threaded onto the bearing inside of the cover ill. An operating handle 35 is secured to the end of the shaft to opposite the end to which the operating rod 3! is connected.

In order to balance the weight of the operating rods 3"! and the spools 33, counterweights d8 are mounted on the shafts 39 opposite the rods In this manner, the breaker handles are permitted to move to the tripped position in case of an overload condition and to actuate the handles 45 on the exterior of the cover ill to indicate that the particular breaker has been automatically opened or tripped. As shown in Fig. l, the relative positions of the circuit breakers are indicated by the words On, Tripped and Off, and the handles t5 are so designed that they readily indicate the position of the breaker controlled by each handle.

The lower ends of the operating rods iil are guided by sleeves ll which are disposed in angle bars 433 secured to the side plates iii by suitable brackets ll). The sleeves il may be vertically adjusted on the rods ill by means of nuts 5i to limit the vertical movement of the operating rods 31. Likewise, the spools 35 may be vertically adjusted, since they are threaded onto the rod 37, and locked in position by nuts 52 to provide the An adjustable spool 38,

proper range of movement of the breaker handles 25 when operated by means of the rods 31 and the handle $5 from the exterior of the cover In order to prevent injurious gases from gaining access to the breaker mechanisms and the exposed power conductors, a tank 53 is provided for enclosing the panel units. The tank 53 may be filled to the level indicated by the line with an insulating liquid, such as oil, and suspended from the cover it) by means of bolts 5a in the manner shown. The lower face of the cover I0 is provided with a groove 55, in which suitable gasket material 56 may be placed to seal the tank when it is raised to its uppermost position.

With a view to suspending the tank from the cover in a lowered position to permit inspection of the apparatus on the panel units, a vertically movable tank hanger 5'? is mounted on each side plate H! by means of suitable rivets or bolts 58. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower portion of each tank hanger 5'! constitutes a hook which is disposed to engage a similar hook 59, secured to the upper portion of the tank 53, when the tank is lowered.

In order to permit the tank to be lowered to a position from which it can be completely removed from. the supporting structure, if desired, by sliding it either frontwards or rearwards to disengage the hooks 59 from. the hangers 5'! and at the same time to prevent the hangers 51 from interfering with raising the tank to the proper position in the grooves to seal the housing, the upper ends of the hangers 5? are of a T- shape and are so constructed that they are supported by the uppermost rivets 53 when the tank is lowered and are permitted to slide through the rivets when the tank is raised.

To preclude the possibility of any one of the circuit breaker units 2i being opened while the tank 53 is lowered or removed from the cover, an interlocking mechanism is provided for simultaneously tripping to the open position all circuit breakers which are closed when the tank is first lowered. As shown, the interlocking mechanism comprises a pair of rods (5i, which. are biased downwardly by springs (32 and are raised upwardly by the tank 53 since the lower ends of the rods rest on the bottom of the tank when it is in its uppermost position. The vertical movement of the rods ii! is guided at their upper ends by angle bars d3, which may be secured to the angle bars 48, and at their lower ends by angle members M which may be secured to their angle bars 48.

In order to trip the breaker handles when the tank is lowered, channel-shaped members are secured to the rods 6!, one channel member be ing provided for each row of circuit breaker units. Each channel member 65 has a horizontally extending flange 66 which engages the top of the spools S8 or all the circuit breakers of each row which are in the on or closed position. Since the springs 62 are compressed between the channel members 65 and the angle bars 63 or 64 when the tank 53 is in its uppermost position,

the springs 62 will force the rods GI and the channel member 65 downwardly to trip the circuit breaker units when the tank is lowered. The downward movement of the rods iii is limited by the sleeves ll on the breaker operating rods 37 in the manner hereinbefore described.

When the tank is raised, the rods 6! and the channel members 65 are moved upwardly, thereby permitting the circuit breakers to be closed individually by the operating handles 45, as de sired. It will be seen that the channel members 65 do not interfere with the normal operation of the breaker units, which may be open-ed and closed individually by the operating handles or may be tripped automatically in the usual manner upon the occurrence of an overload condition.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided an oil-immersed distributing panel structure suitable for utilizing auto matic circuit breaker units for individually protecting each one of the power circuits controlled from the panel. Furthermore, I have provided an operating mechanism which is suitable for operating the breaker units from the exterior of the housing for the panel and I have also provided an interlocking mechanism for automatically opening the circuit breaker units when the enclosing tank is lowered. The operating mechanism and the interlocking device herein described do not interfere with the normal operation of the individual breaker units.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above described construction and different embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of circuit-controlling devices mounted thereon, a cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, vertically movable means disposed inside the tank and carried by the cover for supporting the tank in a position below the panel unit, and means disposed on the inside of the tank for engaging said vertically movable means when the tank is lowered.

2. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of circuit-controlling devices mounted thereon, a cover for the panel unit, supporting plates suspended from the cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, and tank hangers carried by said supporting plates and disposed inside the tank for supporting it in its lowered position.

3. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of automatic circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a cover for the panel unit, a frame suspended from the cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, means extending through the cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and means for simultaneously actuating said breaker handles when the tank is lowered.

4. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of automatic circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a cover for the panel unit, a frame suspended from the cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, means extending through the cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and means disposed in said tank for actuating said breaker handles to a predetermined position when the tank is lowered.

5. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of automatic circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a cover for the panel unit, a frame suspended from the cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, means extending through the cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and means disposed in said tank and movable thereby for simultaneously actuating said breaker handles to a predetermined position when said tank is lowered a predetermined amount.

6. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of automatic circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a cover for the panel unit, a frame suspended from the cover for supporting the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, means extending through the cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and spring-biasedmeans disposed in said tank and movable thereby for simultaneously actuating said breaker handles to a predetermined position when said tank is lowered a predetermined amount, the springs of said means being compressed when said tank is secured to said cover.

7. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a cover for the panel unit, a tank removably suspended from the cover for enclosing the panel unit, means extending through the cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and means for simultaneously actuating said breaker handles when the tank is lowered.

8. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle, a removable tank for enclosing the panel unit, means accessible from the exterior of the tank for individually actuating the operating handles of said breakers, and means for simultaneously actuating said breaker handles when the tank is removed.

9. A distributing panel comprising a panel unit having a plurality of automatic circuit breakers mounted thereon, each of said breakers having an operating handle which is actuated to a predetermined position when the breaker mechanism is automatically opened by an overload condition, a housing for the panel unit, a cover for the housing, operating rods vertically extending into said cover for individually actuating the operating handles of said circuit breakers, said vertical rods being connected to the breaker operating handles inside of the housing, rotatable shafts extending horizontally through said cover and having one end connected to said vertical operating rods, an actuating handle secured to the other end of each of said horizontal shafts externally of said cover, and counterweights disposed on said shafts opposite said operating rods to assist the breaker mechanisms in actuating the handles to indicate the position of the breakers when they are automatically opened.

HAROLD G. BAXTER. 

